


Chase the Ace

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Another Chance at the Brass Ring, or Season 9 Fan Fiction [23]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: A Normal Life, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cambion, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Collateral Damage, Demons, Destiel - Freeform, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/M, Gen, Heaven and Hell, M/M, Mild Language, Monster of the Week, Monsters, Promises, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 11:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winchesters must track down Jesse Turner, the cambion, to prevent Lucifer and Therion from attempting to use the boy as a supernatural weapon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reality Check

**Elk Creek, Nebraska**. Clayton and Jill Turner once lived in Alliance, Nebraska on a small farm. They were lucky enough to adopt a baby boy, and they named him Jesse. He disappeared for seven months when he was eleven, and they missed his twelfth birthday. Everyone believed, at the time, that young Jesse had died; the more sordid folk started to suggest that Clayton and Jill were responsible.

The Turners, heartbroken over the loss of their son, moved away. Unconsciously, they wound up in the very city of his birth, as if a magnetic pull dragged them there. Clayton took up a job as a carpenter and construction worker when needed, and Jill returned to her work as a seamstress. 

So when Jesse returned to Alliance looking for his parents, he found a new family moved into their old house. The police were shocked to find the boy unharmed, and Jesse refused to tell them where he had been, insistent that he see his parents first. 

Jesse always claimed that two people, claiming to be his birth parents, took him away under threat of harming his real parents. He never explained how he got away, nor did he give adequate physical descriptions of either person other than to insist that the woman had olive skin and black hair. When the police investigated, they discovered Jesse's birth mother had blonde hair and fair skin. 

That was years ago, though, and the reunited family remained in Elk Creek to avoid annoying questions. 

Then six months ago, it happened again. A young man, barely in his twenties, told them that their son had a destiny, a wonderful life ahead of him, and convinced them to send Jesse to a boarding school.

Clayton was willing to let Jesse decide for himself, but Jill hated the idea of her son being gone for most of the year. But in the end, it didn't seem to matter; it was very clear that Jesse was going away. It broke their hearts, but they let him go, desperately hoping he'd be back soon. Clayton had gone out and adopted a large Labrador mutt named Lockhart, and Jill wasn't fooled. They were far too young to be empty nesters. 

Jesse called regularly, thankfully. He insisted everything was fine. But in the past three months, everything felt wrong. First Jill wanted to visit her son's new school, and she couldn't manage a simple plan. Then Elk Creek started to feel heavy, unnatural almost, like too many shadows collected around the place. It made the Turners feel ill, and whenever anyone asked where Jesse was, it occurred to them that they never had appropriate answers. They never could get the boarding school's name or address right, and every other parent seemed aghast at the idea that they hadn't visited the grounds.

All in all, everyone in Elk Creek, Nebraska thought the Turners were odd folk, even the Turners themselves these days. Yet, Bob Gilmer from across the way always dropped by on Sunday for the game, and Randy Ridgeway still brought by baked goods on Monday morning. It was as if the Turners were the prized oddities of the town.

Had the Turners been informed of the truth, they would've known that the supernatural world had eyes on them.

 

Sam felt like a twit, standing alone behind a gas station, holding his phone out. Dodge had called back when he was driving, and Sam refused Castiel's offer to answer the phone for him. He and Dodge needed to figure things out for themselves, and having a socially awkward angel between them wouldn't be helpful. 

He could've picked up, but he'd been too afraid. 

Sam Winchester, a man who traversed Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, was afraid. Or maybe it was that he felt stupid, honestly idiotic, at his behavior. Either way, Dean would soon come around back to drag him back to the car. 

Sam decisively dialed his voicemail and punched in his pin. 

"Sam? It's Dodge. Sorry for missing your call and not calling you back when I said I would.... I, well... it was tougher than I thought it'd be... and I had to keep there over night, so..."

Sam hung up before the message finished playing. Dodge only hesitated like that when she was telling someone something they didn't want to hear. He dialed her up, and of course, he got her voicemail.

"Hey, Dodge. I didn't get all of your last message, sorry. I'm just calling to see if you are okay. Dean and I caught another case, very pressing, otherwise... I'd be back. Anyway, please call me back."

This is what he gets for saying "love you" for the first time not just over the phone, but _in a voicemail_.

"Sam?" Dean yelled. "Sam!"

Right on cue, his older brother came around back to drag him back to the Impala.

"Come on, we're not far from Jesse's place."

"Be right there," Sam said, pocketing his phone.

 

Blaze had been in the service of Paimon for almost nine months now, but never before did her news elicit such a startling response. 

"Sir, the Winchesters are in Elk Creek, Nebraska," she reported. 

Paimon reeled around from his sitting position, standing up and crowding in on Blaze's personal space. He enjoyed the witch's company (and body) too much to kill her, but if she was lying about this, she would pay dearly. 

"When?" was all he asked.

"Less than a minute ago, their car passed the city line."

 

Therion received the news slightly later than Paimon. Jesse Turner was dangerous in many ways, but especially with Lucifer out on the Earth again. It was in the child's nature to attract to the archangel, and she had no idea how the teenager managed to keep apart from Lucifer for so long.

She could only hope that the Winchesters would sort it all out for her...


	2. Shield

Dean knocked on the door several times, and a middle-aged woman finally answered, clearly annoyed.

"Is Jesse home?" Dean asked preemptively. 

"How do you know my son?" Jill asked.

"We, uh, met him a while back," Sam offered. 

"Who are you?" she asked. 

"Dean," Cas said finally approaching after his initial sweep of the property. "Sulfur."

"Damn it," Dean said to Cas, ignoring Jill.

"My name is Sam, this is my brother Dean, and this is Castiel," Sam said quickly. "Can we come in?"

"No," she said.

"Look, we know Jesse, and we promised him we'd check up on you, that sort of thing, and we're worried about him," Dean said. "So can we come in?"

"Why would I let three strange men enter my house?" Jill asked, gesturing with her off hand. She had a long, deep cut along the edge of her palm.

Cas prevented Dean and Sam from speaking; he reached out and used the palm of his hand to heal hers. She gasped and examined her hand closely. 

"We're here to help you and your son, Mrs. Turner," Castiel said quietly. "But we can't do that unless you let us."

"Just so you know," she said dangerously, "I have a gun and won't hesitate to shoot you."

"Right," Sam said, leading the way in.

 

Clayton returned home five minutes after his wife called him. It took twenty minutes for them to explain everything about Jesse's sudden attendance at the unknown boarding school, and then they wasted ten more with apologies.

"Okay, so, here it goes," Dean said. "That boarding school? Complete lie."

"Dean!" Sam interjected.

"They deserve to know," Dean continued. "And that kidnapping story? Also a lie."

"What?" Clayton said. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Castiel tightened his jaw. "These two men saved your child's life over four years ago, and they also saved his soul. That's who they are."

"What... what is he talking about?"

"Your son is special," Sam said. "He's not completely human."

"You're lying."

"He's not, and you know it," Dean said. "Four years ago, he split because his presence put your lives in danger. When the danger was over, he came home. Now the danger is back."

The ensuing conversation was uncomfortable and punctuated by outbursts by one Turner or the other. Neither seemed willing to accept the idea that the supernatural existed, let alone that their son could be a part of it. Sam and Dean slipped in the standard tests throughout the ordeal: holy water, salt, silver, and even brass. They both knew it was unnecessary, given that Castiel was there with them, but it made the argument go by faster.

"Normally, people not believing us is a good thing," Dean said. "Because most people with their normal lives, they don't need crazy crap like this. But we can't just leave you now that we know you're in danger. So you have two options."

"Dean, stop."

"Sammy, we don't have time," Dean insisted. He turned back to the Turners. "The first option, you come with us and we set you up somewhere safe till the danger passes."

"And the second option?" Clayton asked.

Sam opted to speak this time. "We take you somewhere safe till we can find Jesse. Then he can explain things to you."

"This isn't just about you," Dean said.

"He's right," Castiel pointed out. "If the forces at work are desperate enough to target you, it puts your son at risk, too. And not just his life."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Jill insisted. 

"One of the reasons Jesse called us for help a few months ago," Sam began, "was that his powers were coming back. He was afraid what would happen to him. That he'd go dark side or something."

"Jesse's a good kid," Clayton said. "He'd never do that."

"It's not about good or bad," Sam said. "It's easy to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, or do the right thing the wrong way... very easy. Once you're down that rabbit hole, you can get stuck there."

"Do you know where our son is?" Jill asked.

"No," Sam said. "And honestly, it's probably better that way. But we already know that demons are watching you."

"Right. How's that even possible?" Clayton asked. "Your tea leaves tell you that?"

"No, but the sulfur deposits found around your property were fairly telling," Castiel snapped. "And I also found a slippery substance associated with shape shifters shedding skin."

"That means monsters and demons are stalking you guys, waiting to get to Jesse," Dean said flatly. "So, what's it gonna be?"

 

Of course, the Turners were civil and kind people, so they completely refused to go anywhere with the three crazy men who tried to convince them that their son was part-demon.

The Winchesters had anticipated such a reaction and made a contingency plan. Benny Lafitte had cleared out of the Badlands Cabin weeks ago, and it made the perfect hideaway from the supernatural world. It was far enough off the beaten path that getting back to civilization from the cabin itself would be nearly impossible without a map or GPS of the immediate area. In short, it was a good place to hold humans captive to protect them from Therion and Lucifer alike.

So, once Clayton and Jill threated to call the police if Dean, Sam, and Castiel didn't leave their house immediately, Cas put them both into a deep sleep and teleported them to the cabin. The brothers stayed behind and packed up some clothing and a few other personal effects for the Turners, and Sam took almost an hour hiding Clayton's car and removing its plates and tags. This way, anyone who came looking would assume they went on vacation or split town, at least for the first week or so. 

As tempting as it was for Castiel to zap back and pick them up, the Badlands Cabin was only an eight-hour drive, and the less supernatural attention they drew to the general area, the better. So the brothers left the Turner residence in the Impala, heading north.

Neither Clayton nor Jill mentioned Lockhart. If they had, Sam would've insisted on taking care of the dog, and the brothers would've discovered that the beloved pet was, in fact, a skinwalker.  
Thus, Lockhart immediately reported the abduction to Randy, the neighbor who baked. Randy also was responsible for the skin deposits around the Turner property, as he shifted into various members of the Ridgeway family to cover his spying. Lockhart's activities also alerted Bob Gilmer, or more correctly, Riper, the demon who possessed him. 

So, while the Winchesters drove off thinking they made a clean getaway, they had actually sent up the clearest alarm in all the supernatural world. Their first mistake was Lockhart; the second was not disconnecting the landline.

 

Gabriel wasn't terribly happy with the arrangement, but after spending time with Jesse, he decided he liked the kid. The archangel secretly wished he'd met him outside of an assignment, outside of _work_ , back in his trickster days. Jesse would be a hell of a trainee. 

Instead, Gabriel was guiding this kid through a purification scheme. He hated his brother for killing him, of course, but for some reason, he hated him more for putting Jesse through all this. Lucifer's presence on the Earth, outside of the cage, set the cambion's power off the rails, driving Jesse into this self-imposed exile. 

Everything was going as planned, until something jolted Gabriel's system. Jill and Clayton Turner dropped off his radar, and he couldn't find them.

Jesse didn't notice, but it wouldn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong. The archangel assumed that the Winchesters were somehow involved. At least, that was his best hope, since anyone else who could disappear the Turners would definitely be after Jesse, and not in a good way. 

"Jesse!" Gabriel called out. "Come on, kiddo, where are you?"

"I'm in the garden, like you asked!" Jesse called back. "Obviously!"

 _Ah, teenagers..._ Gabriel thought to himself as he made his way to the garden.

"Right, keep at it, I'm running a quick errand," Gabriel said. 

"What's up?" Jesse asked, standing from his labor.

"Just some old knuckleheads nearby," Gabriel replied. "I owe them a little visit, and things are slow here, so..." 

Then the archangel vanished. Jesse returned to pruning the garden, which was supposed to be therapeutic but was mostly boring. He could only hope that Gabriel was off to prepare some kind of elaborate prank.

 

"I don't care," Blaze insisted. "I need someone who can blend in. Not draw attention, and Mosey isn't going to cut it. What about Brook?"

"Brook isn't very subtle, but we could send her with Ames. They should temper each other nicely," the attendant witch replied. 

"Fine, send them. They're on a recon mission, remind them," Blaze replied. "We cannot make a mistake. If anything happens to the parents, the blame must fall to Therion's forces, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. Hourly reports."

Blaze disconnected the line and turned back to her master, Paimon, who seemed less than pleased.

"We're ready," she reported.

"Lucifer will accelerate our plan," Paimon said. "He hasn't given the orders yet, but we must prepare for it. That includes recovering the rest of the artifacts and dragging out the rest of our forces."

Blaze didn't like the sound of that, as it almost certainly required the use of more reapers, and she despised them. They weren't fond of her, either, now that she thought on it...

"Get additional reports from all the covens," Paimon instructed. "We'll start there."

 

"Castiel," a cool voice said. "Bro."

Cas turned to see Adam Milligan staring back at him. "Adam? But, no, you – "

"It's Gabe, you whack," Gabriel replied. "Now, please tell me what you did to the Turners."

"I branded their ribs."

"Fantastic, and which of the two idiots gave you that idea?" Gabriel asked. Castiel bristled, but before he could respond, the archangel added, "Chill out. Not here to fight."

"The Winchesters just received word that Therion and Lucifer are desperate enough to try to use Jesse Turner as a weapon," Cas replied. "His parents leave him vulnerable."

"Which, incidentally, was why I was watching over them!" Gabriel retorted. "Come on, I know you guys aren't all into the hand holding stuff, but I'm not actually an idiot. I cover my bases. I've gotten more than one over on the Winchesters, you think I can't handle SOBs like Ther the spider and Lucy?"

"Lucifer killed you," Cas pointed out.

"Aaand when last I checked, he killed you, too," Gabriel replied. "So did Raphael. Looks like both of us are still around, so don't see your point."

"The Winchesters moved the Turners to safety."

"Put them back!"

Cas squared up. "There were clear signs of demonic activity and shapeshifters all around the Turner house," Cas replied.

"Peeping Toms," Gabriel dismissed.

"Until they're ordered to do otherwise!"

"This isn't your business, Cas," Gabriel said. "You need to let me do my job. And the trio of plague and destruction that you're part of? Yeah, you all need to leave it alone before things go south, like they always do with you knuckleheads."

The tense moment was dispersed when something distracted Gabriel. "Jesse's calling me. I gotta go."

 

The Turner's didn't take well to captivity, and it took more than a little convincing to prevent them from wandering the badlands just to escape. 

"You'll die if you go out there alone," Sam said. "I promise you, this is only temporary."

"You keep saying that," Jill said. "But you've essentially kidnapped us."

Dean had stepped out of the cabin because he couldn't stand another round of "please let us go" and "no idiots you'll die." Castiel appeared abruptly, causing Dean to jerk in surprise.

"Damn it, Cas!" Dean exclaimed. 

"Gabriel has just been to see me."

"Gabriel?" Dean repeated. "Wait, what – "

"He is displeased that we have intervened," Cas interrupted. "He has been watching over them."

"Did you tell him he was doing a crappy job?" Dean asked.

"More or less."

"And?"

"Jesse summoned him away, apparently," Castiel said.

"Why did he go to you?" Dean asked.

"Because he cannot find you," Cas said. "Or Jesse's parents. I added sigils to their ribs, like yours."

"Cas, if Gabe can just drop in on you," Dean began, "how do you know he won't just phone Heaven and tell them where you are?"

"Because it's Gabriel," Castiel said. "He may be tiresome, but he is loyal."

"Loyal?" Dean repeated in disbelief.

"Dean, this is serious. Either Gabriel knew about the demons and monsters around the Turners and let them alone for a reason, or they are far more powerful than we assumed."

"If he knew about them, why didn't he smite them?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Castiel replied.

"Cas, we got a house full of flight risks," Dean said. "Can you, I dunno, contact Gabe, fill him in?"

"No," Cas replied. "I can't find him."

"What?"

"The cambion is powerful and can hide from angels and demons alike," Castiel explained. "And those with him are also hidden, including archangels, apparently." He said these last words with a hint of annoyance.

"Awesome, so what next?"


	3. Time and Again

Lockhart reported directly to Therion. Normally his position was fairly low on the totem pole, but when it came to bad news, no one wanted to be the messenger. He was surprised that Therion didn't incinerate him immediately. 

"I know," she replied. "I need you to return to the household as their dog. When the phone rings, answer it in your human form. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Therion," Lockhart replied. "What shall I say?"

"Anyone other than Jesse, impersonate the father," Therion replied. "Invent whatever you'd like."

"And Jesse?"

"Tell him the truth, all of it," she replied. "Down to who took him. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me that," Therion snapped.

 

Jesse knew something was amiss when Gabriel disappeared. The archangel hadn't lied; in fact, he never did. One of Jesse's newest powers was the ability to detect lying, at least from supernatural beings. As the months passed, this particular power tuned itself, detecting hidden information and half-truths just as much as outright deceit. So Gabriel hadn't lied, but he had withheld information from Jesse.

"Gabriel!" he yelled, his overalls still dirty from his recent work in the garden. "Get back here!"

"Seriously, _what_?" Gabriel asked as he reappeared with a flutter of wings. 

"What's going on?" Jesse asked. "Before you accuse me of anything, I finished all the chores you asked of me, including the herb pots."

"All right," Gabriel replied. This was why the archangel was never a parent. "I went to check-in with some old friends because they were sniffing around your parents."

"Old friends?" Jesse repeated.

"They're being idiots," Gabriel replied. "And they know it now."

"Tell me what's going on," Jesse said. "I'm not a child."

"I never said you were."

"Then why won't you tell me what's happening?" Jesse demanded.

"Because my job is to keep you focused on honing yourself, making yourself more human," Gabriel replied. "That's hard to do when you're distracted."

"If it would distract me," Jesse said, "that means it must be important to me."

"Jesse, you asked for this," Gabriel pointed out.

"No, I didn't!" he replied defensively. "I was born with this... this... whatever the hell it is as part of me. I didn't ask for that!"

"But you asked for help!" Gabriel replied. "Look, kid, I'm not good at this stuff. This... learning a lesson without a lot of illusions and tricks played on you, hoisted on your own petards, kinda thing. Okay? So I'm trying really hard here not to pull the wool over your eyes – "

"Stuff it!" Jesse cut him off. "You _can't_ pull the wool over my eyes. That's why. Now tell what's going on!"

"This was part of the deal," Gabriel said. "You agreed to do anything."

Jesse bit his lip.

"Well, didn't you?" Gabriel asked.

"I did."

"Then clean up and get ready for dinner," Gabriel said. "There are a dozen chapters to be read before bed as well."

Jesse rolled his eyes and stomped off.

 

It was all true. Jesse did agree to do anything, whatever it took, to make himself fully human, to heal all his broken parts. But sacrificing his teen years to digging in the dirt for some kind of Zen attitude wasn't what he signed up for. Though he no longer projected his powers while dreaming and no longer had fits and bursts with strong emotions, he could still _feel_ that part of himself. It was like right before getting a muscle cramp, except all of his insides, all of his emotions, were tensed under the clamp.

Gabriel wouldn't tell him something, fine. Jesse did what he always did when Gabriel held something back; he called his parents to complain.

"Turner residence," a man answered.

"Who's this?"

"Call me Harvey," Lockhart replied. "I'm housesitting."

"Is Clayton Turner there?"

"No, he's not," Lockhart said. "Is this Jesse?"

"Yeah, where's my dad? Is mom there?"

"No, Jesse. They're both gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

"Two men took them both," Lockhart replied. "I haven't been able to find them."

"What do you mean, took them?"

"Kidnapped them, Jesse."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"All I know is that they introduced themselves as Sam and Dean," Lockhart said. "And I've been answering the phone, hoping for a ransom call or something."

"You're lying," Jesse said. "And you're not human."

Lockhart chuckled. "You're right, I've been waiting for you to call, Jesse, to tell you about the men that kidnapped your parents. Sam and Dean took your parents against their will. Tell me, Jesse Turner, am I lying to you now?"

"No," Jesse said, fury rising inside him like a serpent. "No, you're not lying."

He hung up. Had he focused, he would've known that Lockhart had withheld information, but wrath dredged up another power inside of him that clouded his perceptions. Sam and Dean Winchester kidnapped his parents.

"Gabriel!" he shouted.

"What?" the archangel snapped, unimpressively walking through the door of Jesse's room.

"Where are my parents?"

"Ah," Gabriel said. "They're safe."

"Safe, _where_?" Jesse asked. "Where did the Winchesters take them?"

"A place that's protected from supernatural activity," Gabriel said. "They're being overly cautious, but it – "

"They kidnapped my parents!"

"They're not the sharpest pencils in the box," Gabriel dismissed. "But they are trying to protect your parents."

"From what?"

"From forces trying to use them against you," Gabriel replied. "Like I said – "

"You told me they were safe!"

"They are!" Gabriel snapped back. "The Winchesters got a little whisper somewhere and overreacted. I have been watching over them from the first moment we met."

"So where are they now?"

"Protected from all supernatural activity," Gabriel said. "Including, and especially, archangels."

"What – "

"Lucifer," Gabriel continued, not allowing the interruption. "He was once an archangel, and even though he's been knocked down a few pegs, they're concerned he will target your parents to get to you. Okay? I can't find them because your parents are hidden from me now, as are the Winchesters."

"What if something happens to them?" Jesse asked. "How will you know?"

"Jesse, the Winchesters might be a pain in the ass," Gabriel began, "but they have done incredible things. Nothing will happen."

"How will you know?"

"I won't," Gabriel admitted. "But I can – "

"No, no!" Jesse yelled. "This isn't – that's – "

"Jesse, I can get in contact with those dorkwads, it's not a problem," Gabriel said. 

"We've got to find them."

"No, you've got reading," Gabriel said. "I'll find them."

"How?"

"With a phone call."

The room remained tense for several minutes. 

"Look, Jesse," Gabriel said, "you need to stay here. You're close to erupting."

"I know," Jesse said through clenched teeth.

"I'll call the idiots, find your parents, then start monitoring them again," Gabriel assured. "Okay? Dinner, half an hour."

 

Dean kept guard over the Turners as Sam checked his messages. Dodge had returned his call. He called his voicemail and skipped her earlier message.

"Hey Sam, it's Dodge. I'm back in D.C. On desk duty, but back in the office. Let me know if there's anything I can do. I miss you."

What the hell was he doing out here in the badlands, watching over people that didn't even want his help? He and Dean should be figuring out Lucifer's and Therion's plans, stopping them before anything else happened. 

The whole thing didn't add up for Sam. If Lucifer or Therion attacked Jesse's parents, what would they gain? He'd retaliate against whoever was to blame. It was all so counterintuitive. 

"Damn, damn, damn!" Sam cursed. "Cas!" he called out.

He'd been so wrapped up in moving the Turners, so upset over Dodge, that he hadn't been thinking.

"Cas!" he repeated. "We've gotta move!"


	4. Murmur

Jesse ate dinner, which consisted of tuna salad and yogurt, and read all the chapters assigned for the night. Gabriel had disappeared before dinner and hadn't returned, which meant only one thing to Jesse.

His parents were in danger. 

'I can't leave them alone,' Jesse thought. 'If Gabriel can't watch them, then I've got to bring them here. They won't be safe out there on their own. Even with the Winchesters...'

He brushed his teeth and washed his face. Gabriel said that he couldn't find his parents because angels (even archangels) couldn't sense them anymore. But Jesse Turner was not an angel. He was _nothing_ like an angel.

_I need to find them._

The thought was loud in his mind, for lack of a better word. It shook him to his heart, which broke under the possibility that his parents could be harmed. All because they adopted him and loved him.

He focused, hard, and pictured the world. Forests and valleys and deserts moved around him. Lakes and oceans. Towns and cities and all the empty places in between. All of it dropped away as Jesse followed the beat of his mother's heart. 

They were traveling on back roads heading south. They were in Tennessee and still traveling by car. Jesse didn't have his license, but he could travel in the blink of an eye anywhere.

_I've got to save them... they need me._

There wasn't room for him in the car, so he maintained his focus and waited for them to stop. Then he could go, grab his parents, and move them out of harm's way.

_They'd be hidden from everything in the supernatural world when they're with me. It's the only way to keep them safe now._

Jesse felt his blood in his veins and the solid beating of his heart. His temperature rose, but he endured the heat. The car would have to stop soon; they needed more gas.

 

Castiel couldn't fit in the Impala with the Turners and Winchesters, so he decided to check in with Kevin. He seemed a little lonely without Dakota 'Dodge' Gage to keep him company at the Bunker, but otherwise he was fine. 

Cas's phone rang.

"Dean?"

"Sorry, bro, not your boyfriend," Gabriel's cool voice replied. "We need to meet, now."

"Why did you call me?"

"Because I can't _find_ you, asshat!"

"Oh, right. I'm with the Prophet."

"The Prophet?" Gabriel said. He let out a low whistle. "All this time, all that pain, and you still are Heaven's bitch."

"Gabriel, what do you want?"

"We need to me, now."

"Very well. Where?"

"I'm in Chicago," Gabriel replied. "Just meet me, since I'm not hold up somewhere with super-blinders up."

"Very well."

Castiel said goodbye to Kevin and teleported to Chicago. Gabriel was in an office building that was set aside for renovation.

"Seriously, bro, your pets have kidnapped my charges," Gabriel said immediately. "And don't get me wrong. It's adorable. Now I need them back, because my job is keeping Jesse on the straight and narrow. Hard enough without people kidnapping his family!"

"Gabriel, Tezcatlipoca warned us – "

"I'm sorry, I must've hit my head," Gabriel said dramatically. "Because I just heard you say 'Tezcatlipoca.'"

"We just saw him in New York City a few days ago," Cas replied.

"Gee, let me guess. He was preventing the damn place from sliding into the ocean?"

"Yes, how did you – "

"I was the one who sent him!" Gabriel yelled. "He lost the bet, owed me one, so I asked him to save the damn city. But he's a trickster deity and a tremendous SOB, you can't trust him!"

"He warned us that a weapon was left out in the open, and he made allusions to Jesse Turner," Castiel said.

"Trick-ster," Gabriel over enunciated. "He lost a bet _to me_. He's a sore loser trying to turn it around on me, Cas. And he played you boys like a fiddle."

Castiel didn't flinch in the face of the most sarcastic archangel. "You've not been paying attention," Cas said. "Therion and Lucifer have been amassing power, and if they continue, the battle between them will be worse than Michael and Lucifer."

"Don't be stupid," Gabriel said. "Lucifer has to dry hump Purgatory to get power, and Therion's just defending herself. You take out Lucy boy, and she'll crawl back under her rock."

"You could take out Lucifer," Castiel pointed out.

"Yeah, 'cause that worked out so well the first time," Gabriel replied. "And my job is working with Jesse, not taking down Lucy. Okay?"

"You're tiresome," Cas spat. 

"Don't even, Cas," Gabriel said. "Where are the Turners?"

Laughter filled the empty building. It was a kind of rolling, pitching laugh of someone who had mirth without humor. 

"Has anyone told you that you sound like a married couple?" someone said.

Fire. The entire room was nothing but circles and circles of Holy Oil.

"Cas, I swear, if this is – " Gabriel began.

"I long to eat you. If for no other reason than to shut you up," the voice said again.

"Wait, I know that voice," Cas said quietly. 

"Of course you do," Gabriel replied. "You and the Winchesters piss off everything in creation."

"Kull?" Cas said.

"Wow, you're good at this!" Kull said with a triumphant grin. 

"Kull?" Gabriel replied. "Wait, what?"

"Lucifer wants you two to try and intervene, because he's _looking_ for angels to steal their Grace," Kull said. "And you idiots were going straight into the meat grinder. Now you can't go, and he can't find you. So cheers, then!"

"Who is this assclown?" Gabriel asked Castiel.

"Therion sends her regards. She's the only reason I'm not eating you both," Kull said.

"Why would spider lady care about us?" Gabriel asked.

"All wit and no intelligence, as always Gabe," Kull replied. "She doesn't care, but I've got more pressing things to do than eat you. Depending on how it goes, I just might come back."

Gabriel and Castiel were left alone in the building, holy fire preventing them from moving.

"So, you just had to meet in person," Castiel sniped. "And now we're stuck _here_."

"First, this is not my fault," Gabriel replied. "Second, we need to get a message to your boyfriend because we can't stay here."

Castiel fumbled for his phone, which of course had no signal. "I can't call."

"You bang the guy, you're telling me you don't have a telepathic connection with him?" Gabriel asked.

Cas felt heat rush to his face. "I can hear him when he calls," he replied. "But it's sort of a... one-way connection."

"Great," Gabriel said over the crackling of the fire.

 

Dean hated the idea to pieces, but until they figured out what the hell was going on, driving was their best bet. The Turners became cooperative after a black-eyed son of a bitch attacked them outside a gas station in South Dakota. They had tried to escape by hitchhiking and nearly got possessed for their trouble. Luckily Sam had slipped charms in their pockets before letting them go to the bathroom.

Since then the coupled had been happy to sit quietly in the backseat of the Impala. Neither of them complained about the cramped space or the music. 

Castiel had left to check on Kevin hours ago and not reported back, so Dean was more of a jerk than usual, which left Sam in the position of being the sensible, level-headed one of the bunch. Normally this wouldn't phase Sam Winchester, but he just had his heart broken by voicemail. His head wasn't in it.

"We need more gas," Sam said from behind the wheel. "Are you good to take over?" he asked Dean.

"We just stopped for gas like, an hour ago."

"No, we didn't. You've been asleep."

"Whatever, I shouldn't drive," Dean said. 

"Fine, but stay awake. Someone needs to keep watch while I fill up." 

But Dean wasn't wrong. The Impala might not have the best gas mileage, but Sam was using back roads and going fairly slow and already burned through a tank. That meant the car was getting something like five miles to the gallon, which was ridiculously poor.

Sam followed a billboard sign for gas and lodging in five miles. They were in a nice part of the country, with trees lining the sides of the road. It was beautiful and lonely, even with the car full.

Then he saw it – an enormous animal, like the hounds that appeared in the graveyard months ago – bounding for a head-on collision. 

"Holy crap!" Sam said, slamming on the breaks and keeping the car straight.

"What the – " Dean began.

Before they could come to a complete stop, another hound mutt slammed into the driver's side of the car, throwing them off road and into a tree.

 

Ames and Brook were trained in disguise. They blended in among humans because, well, they were. As far as witches went, they seemed harmless. Well below the angel radar, so to speak. That's why Sam Winchester smiled and paid them with his fake credit card at the last gas station; he thought they were human. 

"Nice," Brook said mildly to Ames. "They didn't see that one coming."

Her hound returned to her, obedient and placid. 

"Yeah, but my pooch is dead," Ames replied. "I guess that means we need to resort to something a little more... direct."

"Oh, _boy_ ," Brook said, excited. "I like it when we get to use toys."

She drew out an old block charm and tossed it to Ames. 

"Why do I get stuck with the vamp?" he moaned. 

"Because you lost your mutt, that's why. You don't give pearls to pigs," she replied.

Brook took out her own charm, and together they drew up two bodies. Ames had a collared vampire, menacing and wretched, and Brook had a Rugaru. 

"Kill the Turners," Ames ordered. "If you get a chance, go after the Winchesters, but only after you kill the Turners. Go."

 

Sam was unconscious, as were the Turners in the back seat. Sam and Jill, seated on the driver's side, looked worse for the wear, but that could be because the mutant hellhound that crashed into them was still dangling off the roof.

"Cas!" was the first thing Dean yelled.

He did a quick self-check. Bumps, bruises, a small gash on his leg, but otherwise he was fine. So he started working.

Dean decapitated the mutt, to be absolutely certain that it was dead. Then he tossed its body off the roof and moved Sam to the passenger's side. His baby could still drive, so long as the gas didn't run out, and there was one more demonic mutt hybrid out there.

"Cas!" Dean shouted. Over and over, until his voice was hoarse. "Cas!"

He started the car and got it back on the road, but the poor thing was limping along. Sam wasn't kidding when he said they needed gas. The tank was empty.

Dean pulled it over and dialed up Garth; maybe he could put out a hunter red alert for the general state of Tennessee or something. 

Suddenly, a blinding pain smashed Dean forward into the wheel, and blackness coated his eyes. The last thing he heard was a roaring scream.


	5. The Long Way Home

"Dean?" Sam said. "Dean!"

Dean woke up on the ground outside his car. Sam must've pulled him out after... whatever knocked him out.

"Dean? Look at me," Sam said.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"Well, I think I was blind sighted by something because next thing I knew, I was bleeding in the passenger seat, and you were unconscious behind the wheel."

"You weight a ton," Dean huffed out. "What happened?"

"I dunno," Sam said. "I woke up and pulled you out of the car, just in case, called for Cas. Nothing."

"The Turners?" Dean asked.

"I dunno."

"What – are they?"

"I don't know!" Sam repeated.

Dean fumbled with his phone. "We gotta call Garth, and Charlie and... where the hell is Castiel?"

"Haven't you prayed to him or something?" Sam asked.

"'Course I tried that."

"Has he called?"

"No, he hasn't," Dean said.

"Has he, I don't know, prayed back?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Sam."

"Just listen," Sam said. "Focus on him and listen."

"Why?" 

"Because I already called Garth and everyone, okay? So this is the only thing left to try."

So Dean focused on Castiel and whispered his name, desperate to connect.

 

William Anthony Harvelle hadn't been an angel for long, but he did know one thing. There was only one reason to have Holy Fire burning on Earth. 

Chicago lit up the map like nothing he'd ever seen, and he wasn't surprised when he found an angel trapped there. But he was surprised to discover an archangel ensnared as well.

Harvelle waved his hands and set off the sprinkler system, which of course was under repair. So he had to syphon some water from a nearby facility to extinguish the flames. By the time he was done, both angels had fled the scene.

"You're welcome!" he yelled to the general area.

 

Sam and Dean Winchester did not know what happened because they were both unconscious, but Jesse Turner saw every second of it.

As soon as the car crashed, he honed in on the location, but something was very wrong. He couldn't teleport to the immediate area, so he had to zap himself nearby and run for it. He arrived just in time to see something slam Dean into the steering wheel.

Something else, a vampire, yanked his mother out through the rear window. He obliterated it, but the other creature, the rugaru, moved so swiftly that he missed it as it rushed into the back seat with his father.

Jesse flicked the creature out with a wave of his hand, and it smashed into a nearby tree. It squealed in pain as he twisted its limbs. 

"Set me free!" the rugaru cried.

"Free from what?" Jesse asked.

"The witches of Paimon!" the rugaru replied. "They sent me here."

"And where are they?"

"Four miles due south."

Jesse saw the blood that spattered its front. His father's blood. With the flick of his finger, he snapped its neck. 

Jesse checked on his parents. His father was nearly decapitated, and his mother's throat was torn out. Sam and Dean were badly injured.

It wasn't their fault; they sensed danger and tried to help. They failed, but they _tried_. Where was Gabriel in all this?

_Very probably dead._

The thought was very loud, echoing in his head. Jesse Turner was alone. He could go and kill the witches responsible for this, but what would be the point? They were just foot soldiers for Paimon. And Paimon worked for Lucifer. He was the real problem.

Jesse took his parents home. He could mend their bodies but not return their souls, so he started to build a coffin they could share. And he buried them. That's what good sons do.

He didn't even realize that he accomplished all this in a matter of two hours. His powers broke through him, fusing to every iota of his being, radiating like a star.


End file.
